Jewish Film Festivals

Jewish film festivals take place in many different locations including San Fransisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Maine, Connecticut etc. Many of the websites were from the same organization- Jewish Film Festival (jff), but each place had their own website . For example, sfjff.com would be for San Francisco and bjff.com would be for Boston. Each festival focuses on a different aspect of Judaism and their overall missions differed although they all wanted to bring Jewish culture to each city or state. Since I am from New York, I decided to look further into the Jewish film festivals that take place there. 

The information for the New York Jewish Film Festival was on the thejewishmuseum.org under "Exhibitions." The website, more generally is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Jewish people. They use collections, exhibitions and education programs to encourage the understanding of Judaism. The festival will take place from January 12-27 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center and is their 20th anniversary. It is presented by The Jewish Museum and The Film Society of Lincoln Center. The Lincoln Center, which is a very well known and renowned NY establishment for the performing arts is a great way to encourage people to come see the NYJFF and the relationship that the Center has with NY gives the NYJFF credibility and the venue alone can attract a bigger audience. The website explains what the festival is and lists what the program includes. There is a diverse selection for the NYJFF including narrative features, documentaries and short stories with world, US and NY premieres. They include a link to this year's line up which consisted of over 20 titles! I was not expecting such an assortment but it is beneficial to the NYJFF because people are very likely to find at least one thing that interests them enough to buy a ticket. The tickets are $12 for the public, $9 for students, $7 for Jewish Museum and Film Society Members and $8 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased online or in person, and the discounted price for members gives people an incentive to join the Jewish Museum or Film Society and get more involved. You can also sign up for newsletters and give your email to receive information about whatever section interests you. They make it very easy to navigate and find what you want, however there was barely any information about what makes a film eligible to be in the NYJFF. 

As I tried to look for what I unsuccessfully found on the previous website I visited (what makes a film "Jewish") I had better luck at the film festivals in Pittsburgh and Denver. The Denver website, www.maccjcc.org had an application for people to send in to try and get their film chosen to be presented. I was unable to see this because the entries for the upcoming event were already closed. However, when I went to their "2010 FAQ" section, they had a response to the million dollar question, what makes a film Jewish? Their response was that there is not one answer, but they show films to celebrate the human experience from a Jewish perspective or topic. The festivals main focus is on contemporary film with genres probing Jewish identity, history, culture and experience. In doing this, the themes of the films are on a more universal level that everyone can relate too, uniting all people. They also briefly explain the way that films are chosen, listing two ways. First, they look to other festivals to see what they are showing and research the ways that they function. They also build connections with film distributors and their festival director requests films they find, and like for previewing. In addition, they have an open call for submissions. Any film maker can submit a film which is then evaluated by their selection committee during the summer into the early fall. 

The Pittsburgh festivals' website has a note from their chairman, Iris Samson describing what makes a film Jewish. She goes through the criteria they look when selecting the films for that year. The storyline must have a Jewish theme, the subject matter must be prevalent and of concern of the Jewish community, the characters, actots or director are Jewish themselves and peripherally look at Jewish issues and lastly, the film should convey some aspect of Jewish life or culture that we wouldn't ordinarily be exposed too. 

Having a set of criteria is a good way to organize the Jewish Film Festivals but I find it problematic to just say that a film has to have a Jewish theme, because it brings up a similar issue- what makes a theme specifically Jewish? 

These festivals create a sense of unity amongst Jewish people because everyone can relate to what is being presented. They also do a good job assimilating Judaism into our modern society and are entertaining and enjoyable for everyone, even those who do not identify as being Jewish. In general, they bring more publicity to Jewish film which otherwise does not get very much attention.